EQUITY AND ETHICS: Justice and Fairness
“The Ballad of Alice Moonchild” and "I Lost My Talk"

poetry by Aleata Blythe and Rita Joe

BEFORE READING:

The First Nations peoples in Canada have a rich history in terms of language, beliefs, rituals, customs, food, religion, and music. Unfortunately the last century of their history has been battered with exploitation and mistreatment, resulting in displacement and resentment. Our present and our future generations must strive to mend the rift created between the First Nations peoples and the rest of multicultural Canada for a better future.

A K-W-L chart is a strategy that helps students recall what they KNOW about a topic, what they WONDER or WANT TO KNOW about a topic, and, at the end of the lesson, what they have LEARNED about a topic.

Before reading the poems and information given in the next section, complete K and W portions of the following K-W-L chart.

K: What do you KNOW about Indian Residential Schools in Canada - what were they, why were they established, how were they run, etc.	W: What do you WONDER about Indian Residential Schools in Canada - what were they, why were they established, how were they run, etc.	L: You will fill out this section about what you have learned about Residential schools at the end of Section 1.7.3.